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5 Tips for Designing Better Online Ads

Running an online advertising campaign can be extremely lucrative. It can generate tons of sales, drive more traffic to your website and increase your number of qualified leads. But in order to run an effective ad campaign online, there are a few things we need to think about.

First and foremost, is the creative. Trust us when we say, what your ad looks like matters. It may be the first impression a potential customer has of your company, product or service. You want your ad to pop, to be attractive and to be visually engaging so users are encouraged to click on the ad, rather than click away. To get you started, here are five tips to help you design a better online ad

Start with a strong concept

The visual aspects of the ad are the most important. Sometimes you only have one chance to grab the users attention, so it's critical to develop creative that is compelling, graphically intriguing, but also unique (differentiation is key). Start by thinking about what you want to achieve with this ad. Is it to generate more sales? More leads? Build brand awareness? Whatever it is, this will help you shape the concept for the ad and help to inform the creative. The concept should include ideas for both creative and messaging.

Know your audience

Designing for the right audience is an essential piece of building a successful online advertising campaign. Whether you segment your audience by geographic region, industry, job title, age, gender, etc., you should tailor your messaging and creative so that it speaks to that audience. Understand what words and imagery are relevant to them so that you can ensure your online ad is on point.

Have a strong call to action

A pretty ad means nothing without a strong call-to action. Users need to see your ad and immediately feel compelled to take action. And that's the whole point of advertising in the first place, right? To engage with potential customers. Your call to action needs to speak to your target audience, and should be something that benefits them and that they can find value in. They will then connect your company, product or service with that added value. Effective call to actions range from signing up for a free consultation, to receiving a special promotion for one of your products, or downloading your latest ebook.

Leverage your brand

Your brand is your biggest asset, so use it! Incorporate it into the design of your ad. You want users to be able to identify the ad as yours and immediately associate it with your brand. It's also important to remain consistent. Consistency will help build brand loyalty and won't confuse your customer about who you are. Your brand is your identity and your current or potential customers associate certain imagery, colors, styles with this identity. Leverage that and use your assets in your online ad creative.

Have a campaign map

Before launching your ad campaign, make sure you have a clear journey that you want the user to take once they see the ad. Does that mean they're taken to a landing page that has a contact form? Or perhaps it means that they're taken to a certain area of your site where they can chat with someone at your firm. Just have the plan mapped out before you go live. And if you do decide to have them land on a unique landing page, we recommend designing the page to complement the look and feel of the ads.

So now that you have our 5 tips, tell us, what steps do you take when designing online ads?